NEWSLINK: Sochi Olympics – Tolstoy’s words ring true as Putin goes for Sochi gold
[“Olympics – Tolstoy’s words ring true as Putin goes for Sochi gold” – Reuters – Timothy Heritage – February 14, 2014 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/14/us-olympics-halfway-idUSBREA1D0VN20140214]
Reuters covers the Sochi Olympics, commenting that at least some concerns voiced prior to the Olympics seemingly have been mitigated:
For all the talk of war from Islamist militants before the Sochi Games started, the Russian organizers have delivered peace. All the drama has been on the snow and ice.
Criticism of the Russian president’s record on gay rights … has melted in the slushy snow as competition got under way …
Security has been effective but light at … stadiums, with hardly a gun in sight. … brand new facilities have wowed the home crowd as much as the Russian athletes.
The roars from the stands as their nation started collecting medals has, for the time being … drowned out concerns over the hefty price tag and reports of mismanagement of funds. …
On the other hand, one satirist compared the games to Hitler’s Olympics in 1936, and the International Olympic Committee has questions about a three-year prison sentence against an environmentalist who had raised concerns about the environmental impact of Olympics-related construction work.
Click here for full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/14/us-olympics-halfway-idUSBREA1D0VN20140214